WJC: 2018 Team USA Roster Talk

[NewHampshire]

Poehling not playing centre?

I would 'guess' he is centering that line and I expected Norris (not Tkachuck) to be playing center. But he listed some, seemingly, in line form and others as player X skating with Y and Z. I didn't want to assume Poehling was playing C if he wasn't actually - so I just listed them in the order he mentioned players in tweets. Unofficial! I am wondering if he didn't just rattle off the names as he observed the players in each line. I don't know, I can only confirm the trios he mentioned - draw from them what you will...

 

[NewHampshire]

D pairings for day one:

Lindgren - Fox
Peeke - Hughes
Samburg - Walsh
Hults - Perunovich
Kemp - Anderson

 

[Tim Vezina Thomas]

Excited to see Lindgren in a Bs uniform. Looks like he could be a keeper.

 

[jasonr90]

Excited to see Lindgren in a Bs uniform. Looks like he could be a keeper.

Our young guys on D are looking pretty promising

 

[SanDogBrewin]

United States opens World Junior camp

“Highlight of the day

Forward Casey Mittelstadt (Buffalo Sabres) skated on a line with Trent Frederic (Boston Bruins) and Hugh McGing (2018 draft eligible), instead of with Logan Brown (Ottawa Senators) and Kailer Yamamoto (Edmonton Oilers).

The Mittelstadt-Brown-Yamamoto line combined for 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in five games during the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan, in August.
"It wasn't like covering your eyes and throwing a dart, but it was just a matter of trying to balance [the lines] out and having them feel comfortable," Motzko said. "We'll start to move things around and they'll be different [Saturday]. We'll discuss it as a staff."
Dynamic combination

Adam Fox (Calgary Flames) and Ryan Lindgren (Boston Bruins) might be the top defense pair. They were teammates with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (2014-16) and at the 2017 WJC.
"[Lindgren] is a great player and I do like playing with him," Fox said. "We kind of feed off each other pretty well, so it was good to get a practice in with him and get the chemistry back."

From Friday’s camp.

 

[TrueGrit]

The Brown line is obvious, though I'd like to see them deployed as a 2nd line to get favorable matchups so they can really establish their cycle game.

Harper - Norris - Anderson
Mittlestadt - Brown - Yamamoto
Tkachuk - Poehling - Lockwood
Bellows - Frederic - Badini
Jones

Might be a decent lineup.

The best line gets the toughest matchup. You can't just designate and deploy your top line to a different role and assume the other coach won't figure it out.

This genuinely made me laugh.

 

[MatthewFlames]

Poehling will get a ton of ice time his head coach at St.Cloud is also the head coach for team USA Bob Motzka.

Expect him to be a real force against his own age group. Underrated puck skills and such a competitor.

 

[NewHampshire]

Day 2 -

Maybe Poehling is playing on the wing, at least to start...

Bellows - Anderson - Mittlestadt
Jones - McGing - Badini
Tkachuck - Brown - Yamamoto
Frederic - Norris - Tufte
Lockwood - Harper - Poehling

 

[NewHampshire]

The D...

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Seems like fox Samberg walsh and lindgren are interexchanging

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

The best line gets the toughest matchup. You can't just designate and deploy your top line to a different role and assume the other coach won't figure it out.

This genuinely made me laugh.

I didn't say they were the best line.

 

[Statsy]

I didn't say they were the best line.

You don't have to. It's the opposition coach that decides which line to put his checkers out against, no one else.

 

[Machinehead]

It's the most wonderful time of the year

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

You don't have to. It's the opposition coach that decides which line to put his checkers out against, no one else.

That's not necessarily true, especially if you're the home team.

 

[Statsy]

That's not necessarily true, especially if you're the home team.

It's harder to match lines, but coaches still do it without last change.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

It's harder to match lines, but coaches still do it without last change.

Exactly. You can choose to match up lines (to the best of your ability).

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

Max Jones is a risky player to take. It could pay off if he has self control bc he can flat out play, but he could also be the guy to get a 5 minute major or suspension. Sometimes it seems like the elevator doesn't go to the top floor.

This is a pretty good description of Jones as a player. He definitely carries value added - but he can be undisciplined and do stupid things at the worst moment.

 

[SK94]

Any idea when first cuts?

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Captain Anderson

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

 

[Rob]

I was really hoping that Kailer Yamamoto would stick with the Oilers. Hate having to play against him.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

I would say the top 3 lines are set for pre tourney games. The last two lines have quite the battles.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

if I had to hazard a guess

Tkachuk-Brown-Yamamoto
Bellows-Mittelstadt-J Anderson
Jones-Poehling-Harper
Tufte-Badini-Frederic
Norris

Lindgren - Fox
Peeke - Hughes
Samburg - Walsh
Anderson

 

[SK94]

I hope they pick Hults because he can add some physicality with Peeke. Otherwise defense is pretty soft and its not good against Russia or Canada.

Lindgren-Fox
Peeke-Hughes
Samberg-Hults
Anderson

You can argue that Walsh or Perunovich could help second PP unit but i pick Anderson because he is solid in everywhere. Kemp is clearly cut for everyone. You just can't see role for him this year. I think top four is lock.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

I hope they pick Hults because he can add some physicality with Peeke. Otherwise defense is pretty soft and its not good against Russia or Canada.

Lindgren-Fox
Peeke-Hughes
Samberg-Hults
Anderson

You can argue that Walsh or Perunovich could help second PP unit but i pick Anderson because he is solid in everywhere. Kemp is clearly cut for everyone. You just can't see role for him this year. I think top four is lock.

He is a left shot, he has been playing on the left side all week. I highly doubt he starts playing his offside.